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Teacher urges faster fixes for odor, ventilation problems in Schenectady High School A-B wing
Summary
Will Randall, a special education teacher at Schenectady High School, told the October 8 meeting that 18 classrooms in the school's A‑B wing have persistent odors and poor ventilation and urged immediate air purifiers and a faster timeline for ventilation upgrades.
Will Randall, a special education teacher at Schenectady High School, told the Schenectady Board of Education on Oct. 8 that persistent odors and poor ventilation in the school’s A‑B wing are causing headaches, coughs and other symptoms for staff and students and that district action has been too slow.
“I am here tonight because I’m deeply concerned about the ongoing issues of odor and poor ventilation in the high school, specifically in the A B Wing,” Randall said. He told the board the problem affects 18 classrooms, that staff and students “spend most of their day breathing in air that doesn’t feel safe or healthy,” and that some students with asthma “are being directly impacted.”
Randall acknowledged recent district steps — cleaning curtains, replacing ceiling tiles, conducting air testing and planning ventilation upgrades — but said those measures are “slow and reactive.” He told the board that a request for air purifiers costing less than $2,000 had been submitted to administrators, “including Dr. Carlos Cotto Jr.,” and was denied; he said the denial “sends a painful message that our health is not being prioritized.”
Randall also described personal health concerns: he said he was ill for more than four months last year and has a prior diagnosis of kidney cancer, and that a compromised immune system made the prospect of returning to classrooms with poor air quality particularly fearful.
A board representative said the district would follow up with Randall and appropriate staff to address his concerns. The board made no formal motion or vote at the meeting on this issue.
What was said at the meeting matches steps the district described: targeted cleaning and short‑term repairs have been performed and air testing has taken place, with longer‑term ventilation upgrades in planning, but teachers and some parents at the meeting pressed for faster interim measures, including portable air purifiers and dehumidifiers for the affected rooms.
The issue is ongoing; Randall urged the board to approve immediate air purifiers and dehumidifiers for the 18 affected rooms, to communicate air quality results to staff and families, and to publish an accelerated timeline for the longer‑term upgrades.
